Images: Vanna, Capsize, To The Wind, A Friend A Foe, Words From Aztecs October 14, 2016 at Eagle Hall

Life has kept me a bit busier as of late, which means slightly less shows. But when I heard Vanna was playing Vegas, nothing was going to keep me away. That’s because of how much the Boston post-hardcore band blew me away at Warped Tour in San Diego this past summer. If they made that much of an impression on me on the big stage while I was running back and forth to take photos, then I could only image how good they’d be on the Eagle Hall floor.

Kicking things off were locals Words from Aztecs and A Friend A Foe. WFA really brought everyone’s anger to the surface, with a small but passionate pit erupting during their set. The band was extremely in sync with each other, not just musically but in the way they bobbed heads and moved around the stage. Next up was A Friend A Foe. And though it was my third time seeing them, it was a bit like the first since they were sporting a new singer. The change wasn’t bad at all – the band sounded great and the crowd was definitely feeling them.

Vanna’s Pure Noise brethren To The Wind was up next, and this was my first time seeing the Seattle hardcore band. The crowd seemed so eager to sing along to the brash band, inching closer and closer to frontan Tanner Murphy as he wrapped the mic around his neck and his band thrashed around the stage wildly. The crowd finally felt confident enough (or the band started playing deep cuts) to start singing right into the mic.

All I can say about Capsize is “damn.” Okay, maybe I can say a little more. I got to see them a little on Warped over the summer but that didn’t sufficiently prepare me for how insane their set was going to be here. The California hardcore band is pure energy, and they inspire the same from their Vegas fanbase, grown from constant tours out here. The set was a pandemonious display of jumping, throwing their instruments around and frontman Daniel Wand screaming his impassioned lyrics into the crowd.

Excitement was at its peak as Vanna began setting up. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen an audience this receptive to a band, with excited fans singing every word to songs like “Paranoia Euphoria,” “Pretty Grim” and “Toxic Pretender.” Unlike at Warped, frontman Davey Muise didn’t have quite as much to climb on, but he made do on the small floor, moving about and shouting his lyrics to the crowd. Hopefully they come back soon because I’m already ready for another Vanna show!

-Margaret Schmitt | http://margaretschmitt.wix.com/margaretschmitt